Chapter 6174 No Turning Back

Chapter 6174 No Turning Back

"Ask away, Tusa. What do you want to hear from me? I haven't studied the draft designs too closely, but I can share my own views on the technical and conceptual traits of the two variants of your Dark Zephyr."

As the creator and one of the lead developers of the Dark Zephyr, Ves knew a lot about the powerful light skirmisher. The current iteration of the living mech was one of his best works!

Although Ves had little involvement in Master Benedict's plans to upgrade the Dark Zephyr into a first-class ace mech, he still had access to all of the reports that Gloriana received.

Even if Ves was busy with other matters, he always made sure to devote enough time to stay up to date on the developments of the first ace mech of the Larkinson Clan.

He had a strong personal stake in this matter. The strengths and weaknesses of the future version of the Dark Zephyr had a very large impact on the first-class mech force that he was planning to form in the near future.

Ves did not have a personal preference on which version of the Dark Zephyr that Tusa should choose. He only cared about whether the ace pilot would be able to fight at his best when he obtained his desired ace mech.

Saint Tusa spent a few minutes sharing his thoughts on the subject. He then proceeded to ask a question.

"How easy would it be for the Design Department to upgrade or modify either versions of my battle partner? The reason why I am asking this is because the Red War is developing quickly. New technologies are coming out every year. If possible, I would like my mech to be kept up to date more frequently than before."

That was a reasonable request. Ace mechs deserved better treatment than expert mechs due to their much greater strategic value.

Ves thought for a moment. "Gloriana should be able to give you a better answer on this. From what I know, the technical demands of the Banisher Edition are not as high. This variant is primarily designed to move faster on the battlefield so that you can quickly exile high-priority threats into other dimensions with as little delay as possible. It only relies on a single key resonating material to perform its primary role, so it is much easier to augment the more basic capabilities of your mech with lesser resonating materials. Master Benedict has already taken the initiative to augment the mobility of the Banisher Edition through this method, but we can also change that to boosting the Dark Zephyr's defenses or attack power."

That was an informative answer. Tusa nodded in gratitude.

"What about the Base Edition?"

"Well... I am not an authority in high-level materials science, but putting two powerful ace mech-grade resonating materials in a single ace mech is bound to create a lot of... strain, shall we say. When your resonance strength is still on the low end of an ace pilot, it will be more difficult to keep the Base Edition stable when your living mech is operating at high intensity. It is like piloting a volatile explosive. There should be enough safeguards to prevent your mech from exploding, but there is very little leeway to push the limits further when you are still a rookie ace pilot. The situation will improve once you have grown stronger and subjected your Dark Zephyr to a lot of willpower baptism. The metaphysical strengthening of the mech frame will give Gloriana greater leeway in applying additional resonating materials."

These were technical considerations that Tusa was not previously aware of! It was interesting to learn about these differences.

"I have another question, Ves. Are you working on new tech now or in the future that could make the Base Edition or the Banisher Edition a lot more powerful? Which one has the best chance to become a lot more effective when our society has managed to make a lot more progress in advancing new technologies?"

That was a rather difficult question, but Tusa happened to present it to the right person.

The Base Edition represented a continuation of his existing fighting style and allowed him to pilot what may ultimately become the strongest light skirmisher to ever exist.

It was important for him to make the final decision himself.

There was a lot of promise in either development route.

The Base Edition represented a continuation of his existing fighting style and allowed him to pilot what may ultimately become the strongest light skirmisher to ever exist.

The Banisher Edition took a very different turn by granting his Dark Zephyr a powerful new gimmick that could become his defining ability due to how great of an impact it could have.

Tusa truly felt torn between choosing a configuration that allowed him to earn more personal glory and a configuration that enabled him to become a more useful helper to the Larkinson Clan.

Of course, making progress until he successfully became a god pilot was the best possible way for him to do well in both areas!

"Tusa."

"What is it, Ves?"

"Let me guess. The reason why you are struggling so much is due to a conflict between your selfish desires and your sense of duty to the clan."

Tusa plainly admitted it by nodding. "That is one of the reasons why I have been postponing my decision so far. I think my domain is pushing me to choose the Base Edition, but I don't know if I will be able to forgive myself if that makes me unable to save our clan from a catastrophic defeat."

Ves shook his head. "I think you are approaching this the wrong way. You are the master of your domain, not the other way around. The reason why your domain is tied to the concept of freedom is because you yearn to be free and unrestrained. However, you are still a human. You still have the freedom to choose, to act illogically and to contradict yourself. Don't make a decision just because it is what your domain prefers. Settle on a variant that you look forward to piloting the most, even if you cannot list out all of the reasons why. Even if your choice conflicts with your domain, then impose your will onto it until it conforms to you again."

This final piece of advice cut through all of the fog and confusion that filled Tusa's mind ever since Master Benedict presented him with so many options.

The ace pilot once again radiated clarity and certainty as he decided on his future course as an ace pilot!

"If that is the case... then I want to take a chance on the Banisher Edition. I think I am ready to try something new and different."

Ves grinned. "Good choice. Our clan will support your decision all the way. I will pass on your preference to Gloriana and Master Benedict so that they can quickly get to work. Make sure to get ready to redeem the necessary quantity of Erlemin from the War Exchange. It is really expensive and has limited availability, so it is better to acquire it sooner rather than later."

Saint Tusa did not know whether he made the wrong choice at this junction, but once he spent almost all of his accumulated war merits on Erlemin, there was no turning back anymore.